 The definition used by the Northern Alberta Development Council, an agency of the provincial government, includes the communities of Whitecourt, Athabasca, Saddle Lake, St. Paul, and Cold Lake, while excluding Hinton, Edson, Mayerthorpe, and Westlock.This definition is also used by the University of Alberta to define eligibility for northern research grants.The region consists of aspen parkland in the south, grading to boreal forest and muskeg in the north.